around the apartment, an afternoon in haiku

a bouquet of leeks
better than any flowers
stinky yet tasty

why do I kill them
every plant that i love
the cats ate the leaves

curse ikea drapes
the neighbors see everything
change in the bathroom

make some healthy snacks
pretend that its like junk food
then eat twice as much

Easy Garlic Fridge Pickles

Ok so, I think we've all done it before. I myself am guilty at least once every couple months (why don't I learn!) You go to the grocery store and pick up on of those large netted skinny bags of garlic (5 plus heads of garlic). I mean after all it's only a few bucks extra. Right? Inevitably the moment you get home and unpack your bags it sinks in that you will never finish off that much garlic before it goes all sprouty and nasty inside your cabinet. So instead of racing against the clock I've taken to making a simple refrigerated pickle that not only preserves that garlic but leaves you with  fantastically flavorful vinegar for use in soups and salad dressings (my favorite is adding a glug of it to vegan chili)

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The recipe is simple, and leaves a lot of room for you to get creative. First separate all the cloves and de-skin them, use a knife to clear off any impurities and the tough woody parts (no need to mash them though!). Put the garlic in a clean mason jar or old pickle/spaghetti sauce/re-used glass jar (boil in some water to sanitize just to be safe). Make sure you have a lid that fits! Next pick spices you'd like to add in, some possible spices to include are...

• bay leaves
• mustard seeds
• coriander seeds
• allspice (whole)
• ground ginger
• red pepper flakes
• cinnamon stick
• whole dried hot chilis
• dill weed
• dried chives
• whole cloves
• celery seed
• peppercorns

Pick and choose which spices appeal to you most and that you think will blend in most with your cooking, personally I like mine really spicy so I use whole dried peppers, peppercorns, red pepper flakes, mustard seed, dill, and ginger. But seriously play around with any and all spices, and try some that aren't on this list too! Add in a bit of salt, a tbsp or two (sea or pickling salts are best) per jar and then pour white distilled vinegar over the garlic until its within a half inch or so of the top. Wipe the edges of the jar and tighten the lid on. Shake to stir up salt and spices and then stick it in your fridge. Shake it every once and a while to keep your seasonings from settling. In a few weeks the garlic will be ready to eat. Personally I like to eat a couple whole whenever I'm feeling sick, garlic is great for your immune system! But it can also be chopped up and used in pretty much any dish. The pickled garlic will keep for up to a year in the fridge, the garlic will become more vinegary and the vinegar more garlicy over time. Note that sometimes the garlic becomes bluish or greenish over time, this is due to the garlic coming in contact with certain metals, it's still totally safe to eat though! It might also be a good idea to wipe the rim of the jar down after taking it out (to prevent gross build up or rusting). Add label with a eat by date (as if it will last that long!) and enjoy!

Vodka and Growing up

         Lately I've been spending quite a bit of time contemplating the tangible signs that I might in fact be growing up. This thought first germinated when I  thought about buying frames for my posters. Some Background: After many years of attending punks shows I have accumulating several hundred screen printed fliers. They have followed  me from dorm rooms to disheveled group houses, into cramped apartments and across state lines. While setting up my latest room in my new apartment, I was struck with the uncontrollable urge to wait to hang them until I had frames. I can honestly say this was the first time I even thought about tacking them up with more than just a couple "o"s of masking tape. It's not that I don't value art, it's just that as a constantly mobile person with an overwhelmingly nomadic spirit I find myself feeling bogged down by the ownership of unnecessary things. And framing posters? That's just something my parents would do. Well that and I dated someone once that framed theirs. And all of their prints were matted and framed in the same thin fake silver frames. Their room looked like a dentists office. (Needless to say it was not a long lasting relationships). It was a fleeting feeling and I ended up tacking them up with those 3m double stick tape squares. But the impression that my tastes were changing has stuck around.
            What does this have to do with Vodka? Well not very much. Except that another recent urge that I've decided has something to do with getting older is the desire to have a well stocked liquor cabinet. I feel I should preface this by saying that I've never been much of a drinker. I love a good craft beer, but a gluten sensitivity has made imbibing in my alcohol of choice generally difficult. Other than that, well I don't really enjoy the taste of liquor. I want to my gin and tonic to have ... a lot more tonic if you catch my drift. So I find myself slowly slipping into the realm of mixed drinks. Which is fine, because I love things that are pink and fizzy, that have stalks of mint or pieces of cucumber, a wedge of lime or a stack of olives.The only drinks I really want  any more are those typically categorized as "girl drinks" (I'm too tired to do a long feminist unpacking of this term right now)...

            The whole liquor cabinet thing can also be linked back to my new found attraction to having people over for dinner, like a party at dinner. A Dinner Party. See? I. AM. SO. ADULT.  And what better thing to serve your guests during the summer than pretty little drinks in mason jars, while we swelter it out in front of the oscillating fan. (The major downside of my darling little apartment is the absence of a porch). The primary obstacle here is that I am not a person of any great means. As a self employed artist I am lucky if I can afford a cheap 40z after a long days work every once and a while. The occasional splurge on some mediocre gin or a mid range whiskey seems to come only after the sale of an exceptionally pricey piece. So what's a broke kid with admittedly fancy tastes to do? Well for one learn how to dress up really cheap alcohol. And two brew your own (this will show up in later entries).
            A good place to start is infusions, they are simple, low commitment and don't require any special equipment. Here's a photo of my most current infusions.

            For infusions using dried items you only need 80 proof Vodka, so just go to the store and pick up the biggest cheapest ol' container of the stuff you can find. You'll need nice clean jars with lids to keep the vodka in, a mason jar or anything with a stopper would work just fine. The infusions you see above are coffee, rose-hip, and teaberry. It's totally simple, just take a handful of whatever dried herb, coffee, etc. you want and put it in the bottom of the jar and then pour in the vodka. Some bits might float but it should be fine. The vodka will change in color and will take on the smell and taste of whatever you add. You can leave the flavoring agent in for a while, or strain it out after a few weeks. Use your nose and your taste buds to figure out the right ratios. The infused vodka can be used in mixed drinks or you can drink it on its own. It can even be used as a flavoring agent in cooking. The tincture you're creating can be used like an extract (try making your own vanilla extract with vodka and whole vanilla beans), or it can be taken medicinally in small doses (if you've made a strong infusion using a medicinal herb). It keeps far longer than it should ever take you to finish it off, and adds a splash of color even the most simple of drink combination!

obligatory introduction posts

I've never been very good at introductions. I always skip the first several pages in a new journal, hoping to return to them later (sometimes (most of the time) I never seem to get around to it). In my mind introductions are laden with all sorts of hidden pressures. Being the sort of person who doesn't typically plan out projects beforehand, I find myself being constrained by the idea of the introductory post. After all the general expectation is that I will lay out my intentions, allowing the reader some sort of clear picture as to the content to come. Much to my dismay there is no way (at least that I know of) to magically gloss over making that first blog post. And in truth I suppose it would hardly be fair to anyone who happens upon this page to do so. So ... I will do my best to summarize the many thoughts rolling around in my head that led to the creation of this blog.

A little less than a year ago I left my home state of Michigan to do that whole "traveling and finding myself" thing. I had just finished up my senior year at university and less than a week after the graduation ceremony, experienced a difficult break from a long and drawn out relationship. I was entirely unsure what I should do next. So I left. It was a gut decision, but one that I now feel was the right one. I have since set up residence in Philadelphia, and am slowing falling in love with the charms of Pennsylvania life. This summer I moved into a new apartment with my friend Emily, and I'm looking forward to making a home here. I suppose that's sort of what this blog is about, making a home (homemaking? although that's a word my mother might use so I'll avoid it). I work at home as a self employed artist, so home is many things to me ... office, studio, restaurant, and place of rest. I need it to be all of those things for my life to run smoothly. And I need to do everything on a tight budget. Does it always function as I intend it? Well ... no. Not at all. But I still think its worth the effort to try, right?
So what exactly will be on this blog? I can't say for sure but I can almost guarantee that it will contain all of the following ... craft and DIY projects, decorating tips, recipes for cheap eats, fantastic feats of domestic prowess (I hope?), the occasional personal tangent, book reviews, music recommendation, and lots and lots of photos. Oh, and lists ... I love a good list.
Joelle